(Click to Enlarge Photo)

Front Row (l to r): Drew Ichikawa, Bradley Hayashi, Jared Tom, Austin Darmawan. Matthew Bowler, Kyle Makishima, Devin Ide.

Second Row: Tanner Nishioka, Jon Ide, John Yonamine, Bryce Asao, Chad Hanaoka, Aaron Yanagi

Back Row: Coaches Gordon Makisihma, Ryan Ide, Bobby Ichikawa, Alan Tom

2005 OHANA BASEBALL (10 & UNDER)

The 2005 Ohana Baseball team traveled to Southern California August 7-14 to participate in the California Competitive Youth Baseball (CCYB) World Series Tournament in the 10 & Under Division. The team consisted of players from three baseball leagues in East Honolulu - Kalanianaole Athletic Club (KAC), Manoa, and Wai-Kahala.

Although the focus of the team was not on winning, it more than exceeded our expectations by wining 4 games in pool play, resulting in the team being seeded 3rd out of the 10 teams in the Division.

After a rough start, losing their first two games, the team rallied with 4 straight victories.

The second loss came at the hands of the eventual Champion of the World Series, the Lake Forrest Titans. In that loss, however, many valuable lessons were learned. After facing two threats to end the game prematurely because of a 10-run mercy rule, Ohana battled on and scored sufficient runs to prolong the contest. After the game, the Titans’ coach shared a few thoughts with the Ohana coaches that confirmed their philosophy of Ohana’s team play. Although down by almost 10 runs, he was impressed by what he called the “little things” that the team did so well. Some examples he shared: sprinting onto and off the field after every half inning, running out routine ground balls and pop flies, being aggressive on the basepaths and at the plate. He was also impressed with the way the fielders didn’t let any fly balls drop or let ground balls through the infield without a player diving and making an all-out attempt to make a play. In fact, the game featured two plays by the Ohana centerfielder that were worthy of an ESPN Sportscenter Top 10 play.

After the initial losses, the team benefited from 4 excellent pitching performances, including a shutout in the third game. All of the starting pitchers lasted at least 4 innings in the 6 inning contests. The closer for the team turned in three clutch performances that enabled the team to hold on to the final three victories.

Offensively, though being the smallest team in the tournament and over-matched physically, Ohana utilized team speed, timely hitting and occasional power to generate runs. The team benefited from having a lead-off batter with above average power, a second batter that consistently put the ball in play, and a middle part of the lineup that combined to bat over .400 while contributing 8 doubles, 6 triples, and a towering home run in the final game. As with any great team, much of the success was due to the bottom of the lineup getting on base, running the bases hard and extending innings my putting pressure on the defense. There were no easy outs on this team.

The key to success for Ohana was defense. The team benefited from almost error-less baseball. The team focus was on making the routine plays that minimize the number of batters they had to face. Of the11 double plays the team turned throughout the tournament, 5 of them started with a ground ball. The outfield play was nothing short of spectacular as diving plays (and attempts) were common place throughout. The infield not only made routine plays, but solid corner plays, and a steady middle infield that not only turned two very well, but kept balls in the infield that saved runs, always putting the team in a good position to win. Our catcher, who caught every inning, except when closing, received praise from every opposing coach for his hustle, grit, and extraordinary skill in blocking balls and throwing out runners. Making the right play at the right time, knowing the situation and never losing focus were philosophies not only preached by the coaches, but executed by every player that took the field.

More than the success the team enjoyed on the field, clearly the benefits that resulted from being in California, rooming, going to major league baseball games and amusement parks as One Team is a lesson that will remain with our players long after the tournament’s completion. The team exemplified the concept shared by Ryne Sandberg in his Hall of Fame induction speech. “Playing baseball the right way is not about the name on the back of your jersey, but the name on the front.”

This team was and always will be Ohana.

Coach Ryan Ide

OHANA